The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.
There is at the present time a significant medical need for new anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic drugs with reduced side effects and prolonged in vivo activity and in particular for compounds which will moderate the progress of the arthropathies. Plants and other living cells offer a vast reservoir of compounds which have pharmacological effects on humans. Natural products have frequently been the source of effective drugs and lately there has been an increased interest in the analysis of these natural products, especially where a clinical benefit is claimed.
Centipeda cunninghamii and related plant species have been used by the Aboriginal people of Australia for many generations in the treatment and prevention of many ailments. C. cunninghamii is commonly known as Gukwonderuk, koona puturku, sneezeweed, old man weed or scent wood. C. cunninghamii is known to grow primarily in the lower temperate regions of south-eastern Australia. It is commonly found along stream banks and in the back wash of rivers or streams where the water is stagnant.
Traditionally, C. cunninghamii has been used by the Aboriginal people as an aqueous infusion or tea, which has either been taken orally or used directly on the skin. Although C. cunninghamii has been used by the Aboriginal people there is little known about this plant and the active component(s) responsible for its various properties.
International Patent Application No. PCT/AU98/00031 (WO 98/32454), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses compositions comprising an extract from plants in the genus Centipeda, more particularly an aqueous alcoholic extract of C. cunninghamii or a related Centipeda species useful in the effective treatment and prophylaxis of many types of medical problems as well as for cosmetic applications.